Looking for natal area eland hunt

I will be in the kwazulu natal area june 4th to june 21st of this year. I have been to africa many times in search of a true trophy eland and have yet to pull the trigger. I have passed up several 40 and 41 inch bulls because they were not big enough. The bulls had thin necks, no mass in the shoulders or neck at all and looked like an over grown cow eland. I want an eland with a massive neck, shoulders, and body. I want thick heavy bases and don't care about the horns length just as long as they aren't broken off.

My ph just can't understand how I can pass up a 41 inch bull, but I don't think he understands just how impressed I am with the monster bodied bulls I see people kill on occasion.

If there is an outiftter on here that has such an eland on his place and can drive an hour or two and pick me up or arrange for my ph to drive me to your place and hunt please let me know. Please don't contact me unless you've seen an eland with an absolutely monster body that would impress most anyone. I'm not out for an sci eland I'm out to kill one that could easily win a body building competition. And if the eland isn't wild I won't care to shoot either. I have yet to hunt eland in the south africa area that weren't extremely wild so I do know how they act and don't want a pet. I want to hunt an eland, not kill one. If I kill one great, but if not at least I will know I got to hunt a monster. The excitement alone is worth the hunt.

Tony, that would be a tough one to fill I think. KZN is not an endemic place for Eland, too damn much bush and water for them.
You'll have to come with me to Namibia and chase them in the desert is my guess.

A Legend in my own mind!"one hundred grains in the right place is worth a thousand in the wrong." Captain Brocklehurst

I agree with Brickburn. There some Safaris in KZN that offer Eland and im sure some have nice sizes but if you after a special massive bull in RSA then you should rather try in the areas with a bit less rain fall and more "dry bush type " ( Free State , Northern Cape, Eastern Cape Karoo even Limpopo ) but yes in Namibia there would also be great animals but of course its a bit far for you in this case.

Its same as shooting a Nyala , KZN is the best place. But you can shoot them also 9 hrs away in dry areas in RSA but the best would be in KZN for trophy size and better chance of getting them in abundance.

Thats funny you bring up the nyala. My ph manages a low fenced cattle farm for a guy and really wants me to go there and hunt a nyala. He swears by his mothers grave that we definitely have a chance at possibly taking a 30 inch nyala. I've been blowing him off thinking he's full of crap since he is partial towards nyala but maybe I should listen. He killed a 31 inch and a 30 inch nyala there this last year and I figured those were both just dumb luck. I may try it but I'm still really sceptical. I mean seriously, thats like someone telling me we have a really good chance a killing a 60 inch kudu. Those things are ghosts!

Back to the subject..... If someone is within an 8 hour drive of here and I can do a short notice hunt for only an eland will that help out my search criteria? If I do this I will also need help with the logistics such as travel. I figure this late in the game I might as well just start talking to myself since it will do as much good as trying to find a last minute steroid ravaged eland!

On second thought, doesn't hartzview have a private plane? That may be my only way to get an eland. Does he have steroid ravaged eland????

Louis (Spiral Horn Safaris) brother has a plane and he can grab you from the Mkuze, KZN air strip and have you in Limpopo in no time, or for that matter with a plane almost anywhere in 8 hours. Drop him a line and maybe he can help you out.

If you get a 30 inch Nyala and you were not even looking for one I'll scream.
You should Listen to your PH. There are 30 inch Nyala and certainly in Natal. I am not going there just for my health. I am hoping to increase my chances of finding grampa by being in KZN where they like to grow bigger. This is where Louis pointed me and I trust him implicitly and I keep seeing pictures from too many sources for it not to be true.
If I can not control myself in Namibia I will have to shoot that Steroid Bull and show you some pictures.

A Legend in my own mind!"one hundred grains in the right place is worth a thousand in the wrong." Captain Brocklehurst

Don't push my buttons buddy cuz thats a real sore spot with me. My wifes gonna kill me if I fly all the way to namibia just for an eland. But on the other hand if you post a picture of such an animal on here and I murder you for being mean to me then she will most likely kill me for getting thrown into jail over seas for murder.

Whats the lesser of the two evils?

I really hate you african salesmen! your evil, just plain evil! Please tell me you don't have monster eland, or at least lie to me and tell me they don't live in your area!

I would go hunting for the nyala. Eland can be hunted in a lot of places....remember you are looking for something special. I'd try the nyala hunt...that sounds fun....especially for a monster. Eland hunting in fair chase situations, takes time...especially if you are looking for something special. tap you are a hunting machine and will have a opportunity down the road to fulfill your eland dreams.

Is a nyala difficult to hunt? In my first safari in the limpopo nyala walked through camp and we hand fed 28 inch bulls from the dinner table. Ever since then I kinda classified them with cattle. I do think they are beautiful and could get into hunting them if they were elusive. First impressions are sometimes hard to beat.

Put it this way. I can take you an hour west of here and show you giant bull elk in Jasper national park that will stand or lay around while you walk right up to them and snap pictures. I can take you 1 1/2 hrs SW of here and show you giant world class bighorn rams with the possibility of seeing a true world record contender on the Cardinal river coal mine and they too will allow you to walk right up and snap photos. Both of those animals know exactly where the safe boundaries are and will flee at the first detection of a human and either stop or slow to a walk the second they cross the boundary (not within 20-30 yards but exactly at the boundary). Either of those species when found living nowhere near a safe haven are quite wild and skittish.

Hand fed camp or park animals are quite different than specimens found existing naturally and no conclusions should be drawn from such encounters.

Don't push my buttons buddy cuz thats a real sore spot with me. My wifes gonna kill me if I fly all the way to namibia just for an eland. But on the other hand if you post a picture of such an animal on here and I murder you for being mean to me then she will most likely kill me for getting thrown into jail over seas for murder.

Whats the lesser of the two evils?

I really hate you african salesmen! your evil, just plain evil! Please tell me you don't have monster eland, or at least lie to me and tell me they don't live in your area!

Click to expand...

In my defense and so I do not have to buy kevlar when I go to KZN, just in case you are still there hunting when I arrive, I am not selling anything.
I am just a dumb hunter that keeps reading posts and trying to help another insane hunter get what he's after.
Blame these guys for providing services to hunters:
Jerome posted those pictures on AH (Jerome Philippe, Ozondjahe Hunting Safaris Namibia);
I reference Louis VB Spiral Horn Safaris Spiral Horn because I know his brother pilots a plane and can move your butt;
Niel (Leeukop Safaris - South Africa) and your own PH can show you pictures of big Nyala out of KZN along with record books, etc.

It's your addiction I am just enabling you.

A Legend in my own mind!"one hundred grains in the right place is worth a thousand in the wrong." Captain Brocklehurst

I am sure you already know this but the older an eland gets the shorter his horns get (generally) they wear them down in most cases the bulls that you are after wont go near 40" however what you lose in horn length you get back in character, those beautiful round bulls with the blue neck and thick tuft.

This is a personal thing for every hunter and for me it would defiantly be the big old bull that looks like a tank so I can certainly understand what you are after.

I think you might want to try hunting the Limpopo province or Namibia.

I hope this helps?

BrickBurn enjoy Natal it is a beautiful place and I wish you all the best for the hunt go get that Nayla!

Tap, I would take advantage of being in KZN and would hunt nyala in a heartbeat...if that much. I have seen nyala in the Gauteng and Limpopo area, that were not to wild too...they looked misplaced in their environment. Always try to hunt Africa's game in their native habitat. Mozambique and KZN are good places to start. If you are looking for a 30+ incher...you will be in for the hunt of a lifetime....I envy you...and wish you the best of luck!

I want to do a special eland hunt like you too....but that takes time and planning. And we all know us "addicts" will be back in Africa at some point unless we are dead and buried.

Don't put down KZN and the eland yet you must ask a couple of outfits who hunt in the drakensberg mountain range they have some absolute big ones there as well. They tend to have longer horns too even when old as they dont have to break too many branches in their lifetime.

Here is one as an example.

This photo of a bull was taken in the golden gate reserve they do get big in body there as you can see from this not so great photo.

We have a private plane we fly clients all around South Africa. I have posted a few pics of eland that has been hunted on our ranch. There is also a pic of younger bulls that is already that dark grey colour. I saw a bachelor herd of 16 bulls together today as we were stalking impala.

You can find what you are looking for on the ranch but you will need more than 2 days to hunt a bull like the one you are after. They are here but is not an easy hunt and a lot of tracking.